8-year-old critically injured in shooting at Armin Jahr Elementary School

(NBC) -- An 8-year-old girl remains in critical condition after being shot in her elementary school classroom Wednesday.

Police say the 8-year-old girl was accidentally shot Wednesday afternoon at Armin Jahr Elementary School in Bremerton, Washington by another student.

Police say a student brought a gun to school and it discharged while in his backpack.

The bullet went through the bag and injured third-grader Amina Bowman.

Bowman was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center, where she underwent surgery just minutes after arriving.

She made it through exploratory surgery fine but faces additional surgeries, hospital spokeswoman Susan Gregg said.

She is in critical condition, but friends and family gave a 'thumbs up' signal to reporters as they left the hospital late Wednesday.

A teacher working in the office said the shooting happened in a classroom around 1:30 p.m.

The school was placed under lockdown.

Police did a sweep of the school after taking the student into custody, then worked with the district to reunite students and parents.

The teacher in the classroom at the time spent tonight with her grandchildren according to her husband.

"She's doing a lot better. She got through it...very brave," said Bill Poss. "She rode to the hospital with the little girl...I think she's going to be OK."

The student who brought the gun has been taken into custody and booked into the Kitsap County Juvenile Detention Center for unlawful possession of a firearm, bringing a dangerous weapon onto school grounds and assault in the 3rd degree.

Police are still investigating how the 9-year-old student got a hold of the gun.